Nevertheless, sustainable funding for children's services is a challenge councils must face, and protecting vulnerable residents will remain a priority. At the same time, Ofsted has launched new inspections of children's services and education, with a wider scope than previous regimes.
While it is too early to draw conclusions about the operation of this framework, it is both more challenging of services and represents a significantly higher bar than operated previously. As a consequence, the impact of early intervention in preventing poor outcomes is more important than ever, while the requirements for analysis remain as onerous.
While we accept that there will be regulation of children's services, and though we disagree about the frameworks needed, we believe developing the system of sector-led improvement and mutual aid is a priority for local government. We know that peer-to-peer challenge and support is most effective in driving sustainable improvement and the sector remains committed to this approach, driving improvement that can be sustained while reducing the burden of central inspection regulation.
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